There's no reason why the kids shouldn't join in the fun. Reena Puri, executive editor, Amar Chitra Katha, picks Tripura: The Three Impregnable Cities of Maya by Luis Fernandes. "The cities had a boon that they could only be destroyed when positioned one above the other. But as the residents turned arrogant, Shiva destroyed them with a smile. It tells us how it takes something small to create havoc when we forget that we are only one small part of this earth."

Women at forefront

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Looking for more than just an end-of-the-world scenario? Mumbai-based writer Jerry Pinto suggests The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Set against the backdrop of a totalitarian regime, the dystopian novel explores the role of women in a patriarchal society. "The womb is the site of battle, as it always is when society is faced with dropping fertility rates. That's when patriarchy wants control of the power women have: to bring new life into the world."

Survival kit

Turning to apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic fiction stems from a natural survival instinct. This instinct takes centre stage in William Goldberg's Lord of the Flies, which is one of city-based author Anand Neelakantan's pick. "It shows the origin of how the civilisation will evolve after an apocalypse. It is one of the most poetic novels," he says about the story of a group of British boys stuck on an uninhibited island.

Of human nature

One of the first few titles that Jagath Tekkate, COO of the Fort bookstore KitabKhana,
is quick to suggest is Portuguese author José Saramago's Blindness, which revolves around a mass epidemic of blindness and the social breakdown that follows. "Saramago tackles all aspects of the human nature — love, fear, jealousy, heroism, violence, happiness and disappointment," Tekkate shares.

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